Uganda: Police have 9 cases against Gen Ggwanga but no action

Kampala. Police yesterday registered the ninth case against Maj Gen Kasirye Ggwanga in the last 10 years of his shooting impunity but none has ever been investigated to conclusion.

Maj Gen Ggwanga on Tuesday night allegedly shot and ripped a tyre of artiste Catherine Kusasira’s car after a quarrel following accusations that the vehicle occupants were playing inconveniencing loud music.

Like in similar previous cases of Maj Gen Ggwanga’s shootings, the victims opened a criminal case at police and detectives promised to investigate.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango said they opened a case of damaging a motor vehicle against the retired soldier.

“Detectives will summon him to record a statement,” Mr Onyango said.
On the previous cases against Maj Gen Ggwanga, he said he needed time to look for the files to know the status of each file. By press time, Maj Gen Ggwanga had not recorded a statement with police.

Mr Onyango said the shooting followed a quarrel between Maj Gen Ggwanga’s children and Ms Kusasira’s aides over noise pollution.

Source of trouble
“Maj Gen Ggwanga’s children were buying chips when the aides of Ms Kusasira arrived in a car whose music was loud. Maj Gen Ggwanga’s children told Ms Kusasira’s aides to turn down the volume but they refused. Maj Gen Ggwanga’s children said they would call their father and burn their cheap car,” Mr Onyango said.

He added that the army officer arrived before he was called by his children and joined the quarrel, insisting that Ms Kusasira’s aides should reduce the volume but they did not comply. “Ms Kusasira’s aides told Maj Gen Ggwanga that he wasn’t above the law.

Then a verbal exchange ensued. It is alleged that Maj Gen Ggwanga ordered one of his bodyguards (unidentified) to bring him his gun, and he then shot the tyre of Ms Kusasira’s car,” Mr Onyango said.

He later entered his car and drove off. Maj Gen Ggwanga, who ridiculed Ms Kusasira as a toad, confirmed he shot at her car tyre and said he did it to save his son from harm’s way.

“Kusasira and her drunkards wanted Shs300m from my son. They thought they were going to get the money. I tell you when I was called, I got out of the bed and reached there,” he said.
“I shot the tyre. You don’t mess up with a General,” he bragged.

Asked whether he would answer police summons, he defiantly replied: “Why? I will not go there.”
Ms Kusasira said she talked to Maj Gen Ggwanga at the scene and even apologised for the confrontation between her workers and the General’s son but he continued being rude.

Artiste’s narrative
“He called my name twice. Kusasira, Kusasira! Then he told his guard ‘bring my gun I am going to shoot this car’. I thought he was joking, so I moved aside. He shot it and then left,” Ms Kusasira said.

According to a witness, after the scuffle between Ggwanga’s children and the car occupants, Ms Kusasira arrived at the scene in another vehicle and got out to talk to Maj Gen Ggwanga, who remained seated in his car.

“Maj Gen Ggwanga signalled his bodyguard to bring his gun. He moved out and shot the rear tyre of Kusasira’s car and got back in his car and drove off,” the witness said.

The witness said Ms Kusasira ran to her car and made relentless calls. “She said she was going to call President Museveni to inform him about the incident,” the eyewitness said.

Past cases of Ggwanga’s shootings

November 2007: Maj Gen Ggwanga, then Brigadier, slapped a traffic police officer who had blocked him from using Entebbe Road. He drove off.

The then Inspector General of Police, Gen Kale Kayihura, condemned the act and promised to bring the army officer to book. Police did not take any action despite the officer reporting the case.

September 9, 2008: Brig Ggwanga beat up Mr Ssebina Ssekitoleko, then an aide to former prime minister Amama Mbabazi, at Metro FM over the controversy on National Social Security Fund land in Temangalo. Mr Ssebina opened a case at Old Kampala Police Station.

Mr Mbabazi said he would contact the army to investigate Brig Ggwanga. Neither the army nor the police summoned him for questioning.

December 24, 2009: Brig Ggwanga raided a playground where Pentecostal Christians were holding a prayer crusade near Makindye Magistrate’s Court on Christmas eve. He fired in the air, scattering the faithful and their pastor, whom he accused of making noise in a residential neighbourhood. The case has never been investigated.

July 19, 2010: Maj Gen Ggwanga is alleged to have knocked dead an 11-year-old Elijah Oyako in Entebbe. He did not report to police. The case of reckless driving causing death was opened and taken to court. He has never appeared in court.

Entebbe Magistrate’s Court issued an arrest warrant against him but he has never been arrested. He later told Daily Monitor that he was in touch with the bereaved family to have an out-of-court settlement.

May 2011: Brig Ggwanga was accused of setting his dogs on a civilian at Total Petrol Station at Kibuye, a Kampala suburb. The victim reported to police but Ggwanga insisted the man wanted to steal property from his car and was bitten by his dogs. Police did not summon Brig Ggwanga to make a statement.

April 2012: Brig Ggwanga was accused of assault by Mr Vincent Bagonza, Mr Ezra Sigiranda and Mr Ano Gafa, all residents of Boma in Mubende District. Police said they would summon Ggwanga over the allegations, but they have not to-date.

August 1, 2013: Brig Ggwanga stopped police from carrying out an eviction at his home in Makindye Division despite a court order. They then made a second eviction attempt after the court issued another order but again failed.

UPDF intervened but Brig Ggwanga told the then Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Katumba Wamala, to stay off his property. Ggwanga is still occupying the same plot.

August 2017: He burnt a grader on the land, which he said was owned by his daughter on Lubowa hill in Naziba Village, Ndejje, off Entebbe Road. Although Brig Ggwanga recorded a statement with Military Police, he was not charged with any offence.

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